Extreme Events

While the overall climate has great influence over bird species and their local status & distribution, anomalous events such as strong cold fronts, nor’easters, and tropical cyclones can cause short-term, but major displacements of birds. For the isolated events, sometimes it is worth chronicling what occurs, and why it appears so, so that when future extreme events are anticipated, once can be aware of what might be expected in terms of bird sightings. For example, tropical cyclones are notorious for displacing large numbers of Sooty Terns during the summer and fall seasons along the mid-Atlantic coast. Often times, individuals of this species can turn up well inland, depending on the strength and direction of the windfield, and the path of the storm’s center (eye). Past experience can provide a baseline for predicting where ‘fallouts’ of birds might be most likely to occur. The purpose of this page is to go in a bit more depth than the Journal section is able to do, regarding these extreme events. Over time, more information will be added to this page, as these systems impact Virginia Beach.

Tropical Storm Isaias (2020)

Though Hurricane Isaias reached Category 1 status earlier in its life cycle, its status as it impacted Virginia Beach was that of a Tropical Storm. After moving through the Bahamas 31 Jul-2 Aug, and skirting northward offshore of Florida through Monday, 3 Aug, Isaias eventually made landfall near Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina around 11 PM. The anticipated track was such that Virginia Beach was to remain on the east side of the eye, and this proved to be correct. During the morning hours of Tuesday, 4 Aug, the eye moved into North Carolina somewhere probably near Southampton County around 6 AM. From there, it sped north/northeasterly at 33 MPH and reached the Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck by 8 AM after crossing the James around Charles City County. By 11 AM, traveling NNE at 35 MPH, the storm was centered over the northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Impacts to Virginia Beach were felt mostly between about 4 AM (pre-dawn) through around 10 AM. Winds topped out with a 73 mph gust measured at Rudee Inlet, though sustained winds measured at Cape Henry (NOAA) never reached 40 mph. Being east of the eye meant that Virginia Beach received southeasterly winds until the storm’s passed north of our latitude, then the winds swirled around to southwesterly (noticeable by 8 AM on our coastline), quickly subsiding in magnitude. By all accounts, it turned into a gorgeous day in Virginia Beach by about 9 AM, save for the massive power outages that ravaged the city and greater Hampton Roads primarily due to wind-downed trees and branches. Rainfall was fairly minimal in the city, and storm surge was not a major factor during this event along the coast, or in any of the tidal tributaries (i.e., the Lynnhaven River) since the southerly winds throughout the event tend to push water away from our shores, rather than into them… Click Here to Continue Reading!

Hurricane Dorian (2019)